D. Bang's Message (The difference between those who rise and those who decline)

Scripture: 2 Samuel 3: 1                                                                                       

Title: The difference between those who rise and those who decline

 

1. We must deeply understand the Word of God and obey our lives.

2. We don't even know what we've been doing if we don't make up our minds from the beginning.

3. If you spend it without much thought, you can spend a month in a hurry.

4. Are there any of you who spend your time uselessly?

5. It's good to spend this month and make a plan to live a rewarding month once again.

6. Today's scripture is introducing two families that achieve a good contrast.

7. It is the house of David and Saul.

8. Saul was the first king of Israel and was tall and handsome.9. So, King Saul's house, which was once popular, is gradually getting weaker and stronger. is.

10. Conversely, the house of David, the youngest son of Jesse and a shepherd, was divination.

11. It is said, 'The war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted for a long time, and David was getting stronger and stronger, and Saul's house was getting weaker and weaker'.

12. Let's compare the causes of David's prosperity and Saul's decline, and learn the secret to receiving blessings for our families, churches, and nations.

13. Then why did David's house prosper while Saul's house declined?

14. First. David's heart was broad and Saul's heart was narrow.

15. Once, when Israel and the Philistines were facing each other, the enemy general Goliath insulted the armies of Israel.

16. Then David struck down Goliath, the general of the Philistines, with one water millstone, and returned with his head cut off.

17. Then the women of Israel danced and praised him, saying, "Saul has killed thousands, and David has tens of thousands."

18. From the moment King Saul heard this, his heart became very angry, and he became very jealous.

19. Because he could not control his anger, his heart grew narrower and the Holy Spirit departed from him, and an evil spirit began to work.

20. And from then on, the evil spirit worked on Saul, and Saul pursued David, his son-in-law, who was credited with saving the country, to kill him.

21. But David had several golden opportunities to kill Saul.

22. But because he was the king anointed by God, he did not lay a hand on him, but only avoided until God dealt with it.

23. There was a time when Saul threw a spear and tried to kill David who was sitting at the table, but David escaped and survived.

24. There were times when Saul tried to kill David while he was sleeping, and when he hid in the wilderness, Saul pursued him into the wilderness to kill him.

25. In the end, Saul committed suicide by falling on the spear and died.26. Even his son Jonathan died in the battle.

27. If you can't control or overcome your jealousy, your heart will become narrower and you will eventually fail.

28. Job 5: 2 says, "Anger kills the foolish, and envy destroys the foolish."

29. Proverbs 14:30 says, "Peace in the heart is the life of the body, but envy is rottenness of the bones."

30. If you are petty and impatient, you are on the road to destruction.

31. The more urgent you are, the more relaxed you are and pray for peace.

32. Do not pursue carnal pleasures and pleasures, but earnestly seek God's presence in your heart.

33. Romans 13:13 says, “Let us behave modestly as in the daytime; not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and licentiousness, not in strife and jealousy; but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and do not work out the flesh for its lusts.”

34. After Cain hated Abel and killed him, the blood of hatred flowed in all human beings.

35. The more you are praised and respected, the more jealous you are.

36. For example, the scribes, Pharisees, and elders at the time of Jesus hated Jesus, who was supported and respected by the common people.

37. So they nailed Jesus to the cross and killed him.

38. Joseph's brothers did not want to see the love of their father, Jacob, and sold him to Egyptian merchants to kill him.

39. Then, he told his father that Joseph had been smeared with animal blood on his clothes, and that Joseph had been torn to pieces by wild animals.

40. Everyone has envy, but whenever this kind of heart arises, you must immediately defeat it, meditate on the Word, and overcome it through prayer.

41. Otherwise, you will end up like Saul.

42. Once upon a time in the desert of Libya, a saint lived a hermit life.

43. The demons tormented his flesh with doubts and all sorts of temptations, but he did not yield.

44. Then another devil appeared and changed his way and said to the saint's ear, 'Have you heard of it?'

45. 'Your brother has become bishop of Alexandria'.

46. Then, jealous of the saint, his calm face turned into a frown, and then turned into a spiteful one.

47. Envy like this is a very scary thing.

48. This is the story of the famous Bible commentator Pastor M. Meyer.

49. When the famous preacher Reverend M. Campbell Morgan was far away, it was easy to pray for his success.

50. However, things are said to have changed when he returned to London and began his ministry close to his own church.

51. So the old man in him tried to lift up his head, but he trampled it with his heel.

52. And he is said to have resolved to act rightly, treating his friend with the mind of Christ.

53. Then, he held a welcoming ceremony for Pastor Campbell at his church, got permission from his church members, and went to Pastor Campbell's church for Sunday evening service to listen to sermons.

54. Then the famous Pastor Spurgeon at the time came and sat in the row next to him.

55. Eventually, with the grace of the Lord, all those evil feelings were overcome, and Pastor Meyer accomplished the revival of his church as he did.

56. He has indeed accomplished the difficult task of controlling and broadening the mind.

57. One day, Leonardo da Vinci, a famous painter, and Michelangelo, a young artist, were asked to paint a painting in a large hall in Florence.

58. At this time, Da Vinci drew well, but one person who saw Michelangelo's painting also said, 'Leonardo is getting old now'.

59. Then he could not forget these words and spent the rest of his life in a depressed state.

60. We must always be prayerful and watchful lest we ourselves be overcome by jealousy.

61. More than that, we must be careful not to arouse envy in others.

62. King Saul was possessed by an evil spirit and tried to kill David.

63. However, the women were also responsible for their simple words, 'Saul has killed thousands, and David has tens of thousands.'

64. Therefore, always beware of self-exaltation or boasting so as not to arouse envy and repulsion in others.

65. It is unwise and ungracious to boast too much of oneself.

66. As the old adage goes, 'No one's a complete loser until they start hating the successful'.

67. And, 'Few people have the strength to admire the success of a friend without envy'.

68. He also said, 'If there is one person who will sympathize with our misfortune, there are a thousand who will hate our success'.

69. It is said that 'envy stings others, but in the end the wounds are inflicted on oneself'.

70. 'He who is busy helping those below him has no time to envy those above him'.

71. Saul's heart was narrow and he was seized with jealousy and couldn't get out of it.

72. On the other hand, David's heart grew broader and more prosperous.

73. Let's beware of envy.

74. Second. David was humble, Saul was proud

75. David never forgot God's grace and was humble.

76. David wanted to build a temple because he was sorry that he was living in a cedar house and the ark of the Lord was in a tent.

77. But God did not allow David because he had shed a lot of blood in battle.78. Still, God blessed David considering that heart.

79. David said, 'Sovereign Lord, who am I, and what is my house, that you have brought me to this?'

80. Another time, when he took the ark and returned it, he did not think of the king's dignity.

81. David welcomed it with all his might, jumping and dancing.

82. A person cannot do this unless he is humble.

83. At this time, Michal, Saul's daughter, laughed and said, 'I have exposed myself before the eyes of the servant girl of his servant, as a prodigal man shamelessly exposes himself.'

84. At that time, David said, 'This was done before the LORD... Although I should be lower than this and look low on myself, I will be honored by the servant girl whom you said.'

85. Also, when David sinned, Nathan, an unknown prophet, came and pointed his finger at him and rebuked him, saying, "You are the one." David humbly repented on the spot.

86. Nathan was not cast out or imprisoned by the king's authority, nor did he try to excuse or hide his sins out of respect for his face.

87. Instead, he fell down and wept and repented, saying, 'I have sinned'.

88. David was truly humble and tender in heart.

89. King Saul was humble at first, but when he became king he became proud and did not listen to anyone.

90. David repented even after hearing the words of the unknown prophet Nathan.

91. But even after hearing the great prophet Samuel's earnest exhortation, Saul persisted and made excuses to the end and did not repent.

92. So he had no choice but to gradually decline.

93. Let's read 1 Samuel 15:23 together.

"Rebellion is like the sin of divination, and stubbornness is like the sin of worshiping idols. Because you rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord also rejected you from being king."

94. David was humble and grew more and more, Saul was proud and less and less.

95. Proverbs 16:18 in the Bible says, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit leads to a fall."

96. Proverbs 29:23 in the Bible says, "A man's arrogance brings him low, but a humble spirit brings him honor."

97. In the Bible, James 4:6 says, "God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble."

98. Third. David was a man of forgiveness, and Saul was a man of vengeance.

99. David's heart was broad and he forgave others.

100. His son Absalom was a rebel, and he was an unfilial son who usurped the throne and tried to kill his father.

101. But when David heard that his son had died on the battlefield, he wept loudly, saying, "My son Absalom, my son Absalom, if I had died for you... Absalom, my son, my son."

102. Even as a child, it is not easy to do so.

103. Again, when David was fleeing from Absalom, Shimei stood on the hill and threw stones at him, cursing, saying, "Go, go, you coward, bloodsucker; the LORD has turned on you all the blood of the house of Saul."

104. I could have killed you right away, but I forgave you.

105. When Shimei returned from victory, he prostrated himself on the roadside and begged for forgiveness, but he forgave him with a broad heart and did not take revenge.

106. The more that happened, the more David's house prospered.

107. Even when he was in the cave of Engedi, David did not kill Saul by cutting only the hem of his garment.

108. Even when he was in the wasteland of Ziph, he had the opportunity to kill Saul to not only escape danger but also to avenge himself, but he came out with only a spear and a jug of water and never took revenge.

109. But Saul's heart was narrow and hard, and he often killed people like flies and even killed God's servants, the priests.

110. Even his own son Jonathan was nearly beaten to death for disobeying his word.

111. Therefore, David, the man of forgiveness, grew more and more, and Saul, the man of vengeance, grew weaker and weaker.

112. In Philippians 4:3, the Bible says, “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!”

113. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

114. The Bible says 'Never take revenge'.

115. God told us to forgive and love because God will repay us when the time comes.

116. Even at the moment Jesus died on the cross, he said, 'Father, forgive us, for we do not know what we are doing.'

117. And he prayed for forgiveness for his enemies who were nailing them.

118. When Stephen was martyred, the last prayer he knelt down and cried out was a prayer of forgiveness, 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them.'

119. As a result, Saul of the New Testament, who was persecuting, changed and the ambassador also became Paul.

120. What is a Christian? He must remember that he is not a perfectly righteous man, but a forgiven one, even though he is a sinner.

121. And he must not forget that he is the one who is justly obliged to forgive others, just as he himself has been forgiven freely.

122. Therefore, those who are vengeful and love to take revenge will never prosper.

123. Because it goes against the good will of God, who loves to forgive and expects us to forgive one another.

124. Fourth. David was with God, and God left from Saul.

125. This is probably the biggest cause.

126. This is the biggest difference between David, who grew stronger, and Saul, who grew weaker.

127. In 2 Samuel 5: 10 of the Bible, it is clearly written, "David grew stronger and stronger as the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him."

128. Because God was always with David, David had no choice but to grow strong even though he faced tribulation.

129. The reason why the boy David defeated Goliath was not because he was excellent at slinging stones or because he liked the sling.

130. It is because God was with David, who boldly stood out for the glory of God.

131. As it says in 2 Samuel 7:9, "Wherever you go, I am with you, and I have destroyed all your enemies before you. I will make your name honorable as the name of one who is great on earth." God was with him honored and strong.

132. But Saul disobeyed the word of God, did not listen to the word of God's servant, and did not repent, so in the end God forsook him and left him.

133. As a result, only evil spirits worked in the place where God's Spirit left, and only envy and vengeance were filled.

134. Saints, no matter what you do, believe in God, rely on Him, obey Him, stand on God's side, and do not stand on the devil's side.

135. Will I stand on God's side every moment of our lives!

136. Or will you side with the devil!

137. I am standing at a crossroads between these two things.

138. Those who pray diligently on a daily basis will stand on the path of God like David.

139. Look at the Psalms. David was a man of prayer and a man of praise.

140. A praying saint and a praising saint have a broad heart.

141. Because God delights in their hearts, they always enjoy peace and joy.

142. David sought God no matter what difficulties came his way.

143. Saul did not seek God.

144. Those who seek, seek, and knock are those who earnestly seek God.

145. Saints, I hope that you will be prosperous.

146. The secret to prospering in life is to earnestly seek and rely on God.

147. Become a man of Immanuel with God.

148. There is no greater blessing than this.

149. There is no greater tragedy than to be abandoned by God.

150. It's a miserable life.

151. Saul was a king and David was a fugitive.

152. How did the tide turn like this?

153. Brothers and sisters, let go of envy and be broad-minded.

154. Always be humble and forgive, not revenge.

155. Also, I pray that families, businesses, and churches become prosperous by becoming people with whom God is with them.

156. Amen